Leave the molts in the tank. The shrimp eat them to get some of the nutrients that they need. As mentioned, they are usually berried for four weeks. What are you feeding them? Mine loved Hikari Algae Wafers. I also keep water changes to once every three weeks max unless something comes up. When you add water you need to try to get it as close as possible to the same temp and very slowly add it otherwise they may molt prematurely and that can cause all kinds of problems. That's why I really like to over filter my shrimp tanks. My new 11.4 has an Eheim 2213 and a dual sponge filter

I've been feeding them a dried food made by a forum member, I believe it is just dried veggies. They aren't to terribly keen on it. I can try the Hiarki wafers, I've got some of those for bottom feeders. I sort of suspect that right now they are so stuffed on algae from cleaning up the heavily planted tank that they just aren't hungry for what I have to offer.

I don't do a lot of water changing once a tank is cycled, so glad to hear you also suggest few water changes. And I'll be careful when adding new water. Right now they seem quite happy with how things are. Plain old city water, treated with a declorinator, no other fiddling. I am planning on adding a HOB filter to the tank, the Eheim filter seems to be doing a good job, but it has no way to add media like Purigen. It is really just a sponge filter.

So I added an Aquaclear 20 HOB. It is stuffed with sponges, Fluval bio media, and purigen. Definite improvement in water clarity and makes for nice surface flow. The floating plants are happier, everything is happier. The stock filtration seemed adequate, but not really great, so this was a good addition. I feel far more confident about the ability of the tank to stay healthy now. I'm leaving the old filter in and running and figure they become backup bacterial colonies for each other. Even if something happens to one filter, the other is likely to keep chugging.

No CO2 so plants are growing slowly, but even the DHG seems happy, it is just slow. Another bottom plant added, whose name I promptly forgot. Moss is going crazy, java fern is making babies like mad. And there are TONS of baby shrimp swimming around now. At least two, maybe three batches hatched just judging by size. Got some brand new teeny babies, some a little bigger and some just starting to get color. Doesn't look like anyone is berried anymore. But I've seen at least one young male riding the wrong side of a saddled female trying to figure it out, so likely more eggs soon.

For the longest time, I didn't know why I would see this strands randomly occuring my tank! I kept thinking it was my rotala sending out new growth or something, but now I finally know! Probably was included in the plant purchase by accident.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tandaina

See the shoots the moss is sending out? What do I do with these, they are fun to watch wave around but if it puts out too many more they'll become a mess!Untitled by JoAndRoses, on Flickr

The population in this tank is thriving. Multiple generations of babies growing up, berried females all happy. But they just don't do what the experts say they will do.

I bought them alder cones, because everyone says shrimp love them. Mine have completely and totally ignored the three cones I dropped into the tank. The snails are more interested (which isn't much either).

The fancy home made food I bought from a member here? Food that lots of you all posted pictures of shrimp swarming? Meh. They've seen better. A few will pick at it a bit, but mostly the snails eat it or I take it out a day later mostly untouched.

Cheap algae wafers? AWESOME, shrimp pile on!

Water changes? Meh, they don't care. Top offs, they don't seem to be picky about water temp or parameters long as it is clean and chlorine free.

So just a heads up for newbie shrimp keepers searching for information. Cherry shrimp are proving (in my tank) to be very low maintenance, very easy fauna. Long as they have moss they seem happy as clams. (wait, who says clams are happy?)

Tandaina that vine like plant is not part of the moss. It can be a pest in your tank if you don't control it. If left alone it can make a mess of the moss and might get so tangled up that you might have to remove moss from driftwood.

Tandaina that vine like plant is not part of the moss. It can be a pest in your tank if you don't control it. If left alone it can make a mess of the moss and might get so tangled up that you might have to remove moss from driftwood.

Yes, I've left the old filter in and running JUST so I can keep using the light. The light is perfect for this tank. I actually prefer it to the Finnex Ray I have on my 5 gallon. Perfect balance of light for this size tank without CO2, no algae issues, plants all very happy and growing well. I am very happy with it, but the filter is what holds it on the tank. So you have to keep filter in tank (I suppose you could remove the media and the front cover if you weren't going to run it) to use the light. So might as well let it filter.

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